Appiah John K, Plange-Kaye Ewurabena, Donneyong Evans
Internal Medicine, Geisinger Medical Center, Wilkes Barre, USA.
Dentistry, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Cureus. 2025 May 12;17(5):e83969. doi: 10.7759/cureus.83969. eCollection 2025 May.
Online search data have emerged as a novel tool to assess public health interest and behavior. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prevalent, yet little is known about their seasonal variation from a population behavior standpoint. This study uses Google Trends to evaluate temporal patterns in public search interest for common GI symptoms over a 10-year period in the United States. Relative search volumes (RSVs) for six GI symptoms (stomach pain, heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and bloody stool) were extracted from Google Trends spanning January 2015 to January 2025. Data were normalized, aggregated monthly, and subjected to seasonal-trend decomposition using Loess (STL) to isolate long-term and seasonal components. Peak months were determined based on the seasonal component. Stomach pain had the highest overall search volume, with a seasonal peak in January reflecting a 15.7 percent rise. Heartburn also peaked in January with a 14 percent increase. Bloating and diarrhea showed greater seasonal fluctuation, peaking in July with increases of 41.8 percent and 21.2 percent, respectively. Constipation peaked in February with an 18.9 percent rise. Bloody stool showed the largest seasonal amplitude at 63.2 percent, though without a consistent peak month. Google Trends data reveal distinct seasonal patterns in public interest for GI symptoms, with peaks mainly in winter and summer. Infodemiology tools such as Google Trends can enhance public health surveillance and help anticipate seasonal healthcare needs.
在线搜索数据已成为评估公众健康兴趣和行为的一种新工具。胃肠道（GI）症状很常见，但从人群行为角度对其季节性变化却知之甚少。本研究使用谷歌趋势来评估美国10年间公众对常见胃肠道症状搜索兴趣的时间模式。从2015年1月至2025年1月的谷歌趋势中提取了六种胃肠道症状（胃痛、烧心、腹胀、腹泻、便秘和便血）的相对搜索量（RSV）。数据进行了标准化处理，按月汇总，并使用局部加权回归散点平滑法（Loess）进行季节性趋势分解，以分离长期和季节性成分。根据季节性成分确定高峰月份。胃痛的总体搜索量最高，1月份出现季节性高峰，搜索量增长了15.7%。烧心在1月份也达到高峰，增长了14%。腹胀和腹泻的季节性波动更大，7月份达到高峰，分别增长了41.8%和21.2%。便秘在2月份达到高峰，增长了18.9%。便血的季节性幅度最大，为63.2%，不过没有一致的高峰月份。谷歌趋势数据揭示了公众对胃肠道症状兴趣的明显季节性模式，高峰主要出现在冬季和夏季。像谷歌趋势这样的信息流行病学工具可以加强公共卫生监测，并有助于预测季节性医疗需求。
